The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) • The Next Reel

December 6th, 2018

Episode description

"You really think there’s ‘happy ever after’ for people like us?"

With his successful start as James Bond, Pierce Brosnan thought he’d try his hand at producing, and after a small film for their first test outing, he and producing partner Beau St. Clair opted to remake the McQueen/Dunaway heist classic The Thomas Crown Affair. For many people, it’s the definitive version of the story. But how well does it hold up when viewed next to the original? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Movies and Their Remakes series with John McTiernan’s 1999 film The Thomas Crown Affair.

We talk about the similarities and differences between the two films, and why some elements, like the heist, work better in the original film. We look at the pairing of Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo and talk about how the great chemistry they carry here. We discuss the story additions by McTiernan and why they don’t work for us. We touch on the casting of Faye Dunaway as the title character’s therapist and why we struggle with that. And we debate whether the addition of nudity and sex scenes can replace the sexually charged chess game.

It’s a film that doesn’t hold up as well on this viewing, but is still fun. We have a great time chatting about it, so check it out then tune in! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins.

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